Where's A Shrink When You Need One?

Okay, maybe I'm crazy. There's a high probability that I am. You need proof? I'm ACTUALLY considering extending my contract here for another year. Wait, it's not just food poisoning talking... let me explain.

First of all, the school would have to give me the same vacation time as normal teachers. There is no way that my next contract will have me sitting at school all vacation doing nothing. It is pointless and frankly demeaning that I'm not given the same kind of benefits as a normal teacher. The other teachers get huge bonuses ($6000 twice a year). I'm never ever going to see that, but the same amount of vacation time is a requirement.

Second, my school will have to work with me. I need the support of my fellow English teachers and the vice-principal in terms of classroom management and behavior modification. My kids are not well behaved and hate English. I can do my best to change the later, but I need help to change the behavior. I cannot do it alone. I can't be disciplining a class and hear my co-teacher laugh, or hear the excuses that my co-teacher gives for the students. Being poor and having family problems is no excuse for the kind of behavior we get at school.

The reasons that I'm thinking about staying at my school are several. First of all, I know how things work here. I know what is expected of me. I know the students. The devil you know beats the devil you don't. Knowing my teachers and administration should (in theory) make it easier to change things.

It's in my school's best interrest to keep the same English teacher for more than a year. Consistency is a problem. So, I believe that they will be more flexible in regards to contract and things.

My apartment is awesome. I love it. I like my city. I like it's size. I like my proximity to Seoul without living IN Seoul. Moving schools will mean moving all of this.

So, it's all up in the air. Hell, tomorrow a kid could be so bad that I just change my mind. I change my mind every 30 seconds here, but right now I'm thinking of staying. Crazy.